As I was dying I thought nothing of those who had passed before me. I was certain that when you died you’re gone, permanently. But as I slumbered into my final phase of letting go, I saw the movement of many people I had known throughout my life coming nearer and nearer to me.

At first I thought it was a dream, though it felt so real. Then I thought certain I must be hallucinating, but their faces and words were becoming so clear. At last I realized I must be where others are who died ahead of me: I’m in the afterlife.

It was true. I had died. Interestingly, though, I felt more awake that I had for a long time because the people who had gathered around me were there to celebrate my ‘homecoming’. With their help and inspiration, I awakened pretty quickly and certainly with a lot of chipper feelings…considering I had just died!

So now I reside in the afterlife, where most of you feel us but few of you discern us. We’re here among you for the most part, because we want to give ideas and help. But if you believe we don’t exist, your mind acts as a shield and resists discerning us – no matter what.

I suppose it’s a matter of making sense to the mind - to only see what makes sense, but in reality there is so much more to see than just what you see. If you allow your eyes to squint a bit, relax your mind some by breathing deeply, at some point your eyes and mind will reconnect those cones in the back of your eyes that discern other levels of light.

Bringing you this information is my great desire because I spent a lifetime wondering if God existed at all, if life continued after the body, and if our loved ones have to leave us with that lonely feeling when they die. Had I been able to slowly allow my eyes to see my loved ones who crossed over I’m certain I would have felt for myself the miracle of their rebirth.

02/19/12 

HERSHEL

Make 2012 Your Golden Year!

The town I grew up in wasn’t going to let me get away with a thing. Not a thing. As a child I hated it, but deep inside I was okay with it because I felt watched over and protected - most especially from myself!

I have no doubt that had I grown up in a large city somewhere the outcome of my life would have been very different, because I was always giving myself permission to push my luck.

Lead your kids by showing them that the watchful eye of your friends and family includes neighbors, because a close family almost always starts with a close community.

01/08/12

The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence was a way of life for me. No matter what I was doing, I wondered what I was missing, so hurried on my way.

When I crossed over I saw the completion of important opportunities I had passed by in my haste. Had I not been in such a hurry, outcomes left and right would have turned out so much better for me.

The best things in life are worth the extra time and effort they take, because in the end you prove to yourself what was important. Be important to you. Stick with what you started!

01/22/12

After school was out I got a summer job. My family was poor, so the extra money would really help. But once I got the cash in my pocket, I spent it on my friends. Certain they would be impressed, I paid for everything from burgers to movies. I thought I was important.

Wrong. It backfired! My friends spent that summer borrowing money from me over and over again, never once paying me back. Eventually they stopped coming around, because I got tired of feeling used.

Once I finally woke up and started helping my family, I began to change from the inside out. I gave my best to my family, first, because their appreciation is what mattered most. (Funny, after that my friends began to sincerely respect me.)

01/29/12

Before I was married my grandmother took me aside and advised that the one thing she found that keeps a married couple hopeful and happy is when they ask each other questions and then genuinely listen.

Too often, she said, people ask questions to be polite, but don’t really want to know the answer. When you’re married, every day is different so each person will have new feelings about the day, and most especially about what’s ahead.

If you want a fresh life ask your husband or wife what they think and then listen. Don’t worry, most of the time they’ll figure out their problems as they open up to you. But when you give them a soft ear, you receive a soft heart in return.

02/05/12

Each of us has aspirations we may or may not think we’re deep-down able to achieve. With all my heart I wanted to be a star on Broadway. Though I had some success in small community theaters, I never reached the heights I deeply wanted to reach.

Looking back I know what my stumbling block was. While I imagined living the life of a glamorous, successful star, I never stood before producers or casting agents with the look in my eyes that said, I am the one you’re looking for!

While it’s important your heart feels excited about your dreams and aspirations, it’s as important your mind does, too. Feel the success you want. Then spend time in your mind’s eye approving of it. Things change rapidly thereafter!

02/12/12